1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sprinkler mounting devices and, more particularly, to a device for mounting a reducer support beam of a sprinkler to a ceiling support rail in a building.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, a plurality of ceiling support rails horizontally extend in parallel to the ceiling in a building to form a ceiling support structure, with a ceiling panel being mounted to the bottoms of the ceiling support rails so as to form a desired ceiling. A plurality of reducer support beams are mounted to the ceiling support rails at desired positions so as to hold the reducers of a sprinkler system in parallel to the ceiling. In such a case, a sprinkler mounting device is used for holding each end of a reducer support beam to a desired ceiling support rail.
A conventional sprinkler mounting device, used for holding each end of a reducer support beam to a desired ceiling support rail, has a U-shaped profile defined by one top wall and two sidewalls. This conventional mounting device is thus provided with a fitting channel between the two sidewalls and is fitted over a desired ceiling support rail at the fitting channel. The conventional sprinkler mounting device may be also provided with a locking projection on at least one sidewall thereof at a lower portion so as to be locked to a ceiling support rail at the fitting projection inserted into a hole of the ceiling support rail. A bolt hole is formed at the top wall. A notch is formed on the mounting device at an upper portion and perpendicularly receives a desired portion of a reducer support beam thereon. In order to mount opposite end portions of a reducer support beam of a sprinkler to desired two ceiling support rails, two sprinkler mounting devices are fitted over desired positions of the two ceiling support rails prior to seating the opposite end portions of the reducer support beam in the notches of the two mounting devices. Therefore, the reducer support beam is primarily mounted to the ceiling support rails by the two mounting devices. Thereafter, a locking bolt is threaded downward into the bolt hole of each mounting device, and so the reducer support beam is biased downward by the locking bolt, thus finally coming into close contact with the lower edges of the notches at its lower surface. The position of the reducer support beam relative to the two mounting devices is thus fixed.
However, such a conventional sprinkler mounting device is problematic in that it has a structural defect undesirably inducing an incomplete engagement between the device and a ceiling support rail. In addition, when the locking bolt for fixing the position of the reducer support beam within the notch is exceedingly tightened, the conventional mounting device may be structurally deformed at positions around its fitting channel and or its notch, thus being easily and unexpectedly loosened even by a small external impact. Another problem experienced in the conventional sprinkler mounting device resides in that it is designed to be limitedly usable with a ceiling support rail having specified size and shape, and so it is necessary for manufacturers or users of such sprinkler mounting devices to separately produce or purchase a variety of mounting devices having different sizes and shapes since marketed ceiling support rails have different sizes and shapes. The conventional sprinkler mounting devices are thus very inconvenient to manufacturers and users.